Despite a ruling last week by the Castilla-León regional government prohibiting the killing of bulls in public spectacles, and especially targeting the controversial annual Toro de la Vega festival in the town of Tordesillas, the local Socialist party (PSOE) mayor has announced with the support of the conservative Partido Popular on the town council that Tordesillas will file suit to block the ruling and will continue with preparations for this year’s event on 13th September.

While the foreign press joined most Spanish media in announcing an end to the annual Toro de la Vega spectacle — in which local townspeople run a prize bull through the town, hacking at it with knives and spears until it is finally lanced to death in front of a crowd of onlookers — Spain’s Partido Animalista (PACMA) animal-rights party cautions that the Tordesillas town council must change the local regulations governing the Toro de la Vega festival for the regional decree to take effect.

Local PSOE mayor José Antonio González Poncela said in a press conference Friday that the regional decree contradicts Spain’s national laws governing bullfighting and bull-running events and the town council will file an appeal to overturn the ruling, adding that the Toro de la Vega festival is a “cultural manifestation of great anthropological importance” and his administration will continue “working toward celebrating [the festival] just as it has been celebrated for the past 500 years.”